->'''General Grievous''': Anakin Skywalker. I was expecting someone with your reputation to be a little... ''older''.\\'''Anakin''': General Grievous. You're ''shorter'' than I expected.-->-- ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith''%%%% Quote also selected in IP thread; please do not change it.%%

So it's been a while since you answered the CallToAdventure, and you've had some successes. ''Spectacular'' successes, even. Everyone has [[FamedInStory heard of what you've done]] and everyone knows your name. . . but they don't know what you look like, and you don't exactly [[AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance look the part]]. Maybe you're the KidHero, LittleMissBadass, CuteBruiser, ReallySevenHundredYearsOld, a LadyOfWar with a TomboyishName, or maybe you just [[HollywoodHomely lack the movie-star looks]] everyone associates with a heroic role.

Either way, your reputation precedes you, and every time you introduce yourself, people are going to look at you and say "Oh! I was expecting someone taller...". Or worse, they'll ask you if you've met/heard of/know of... well... ''you''. Then you have to say ActuallyIAmHim. Or even worse, they'll think your ''associate'' is you, and then you have to say ActuallyThatsMyAssistant.

Alternatively, maybe you're just a DirtyCoward with an AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance who happened to be [[FakeUltimateHero in the vicinity of great events]].

Can be TruthInTelevision - research has shown that people make links between people's height and their perceived success, even if they know nothing about them.

May overlap with ShroudedInMyth, where it's the exaggerated reputation or description that causes the disappointment. Can lead into a WartsAndAll plotline, where they can realize their expectations are wrongheaded.

If someone is simply commenting mockingly on the height of another character with no reference to their reputation, see AcceptableTargets or TheNapoleon.

See also BeautyEqualsGoodness, MistakenAge, RecognitionFailure, BadassOnPaper.

Not to be confused with the Creator/TomHolt comic fantasy novel, ''Literature/ExpectingSomeoneTaller''.----!!Examples

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[[folder:Anime & Manga]]* In ''Manga/AnatoliaStory'', everyone has heard of 'Yuri Ishtar', ''the'' girl that has finally caused [[TheCasanova Kail]] to finally take an official concubine, who is said to have been sent by the heavens, an incarnation of the Goddess of Love and Fertilty [[MeaningfulName Ishtar]] and has helped the Hittite Empire to win battles! And everyone's first reaction upon actually meeting Yuri is '[[FlatWhat You]]?', since she is small, darkhaired and the complete opposite of what was considered true, gorgeous beauty at the time.* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'': Happens quite a lot due to the nature of a shonen anime about 'training to get stronger'.** Goku gives a particularly boastful one when he first sees [[AlienInvasion Frieza's]] [[BishounenLine Final Form]]. He soon comes to regret those words.** At the beginning of the Android saga, when Future Trunks has warned the Z Fighters that the Androids in [[AlternateTimeline his timeline]] slaughtered everyone and destroyed the world. When they finally show up, the Z Fighters prove more than a match for them, even though Goku nearly dies of a heart virus. (Although it does turn out that these were not the Androids they were looking for. When they finally do show up, they beat the Z Fighters in short order.)** When Vegeta goes through the training of his life to face Cell, he outclasses him so much that he is disappointed about how weak the supposed 'perfect warrior' is. *** He still has the same attitude once he allows Cell to become perfect, even commenting that Cell 'just got smaller', and wonders why Cell made such a big deal out of becoming perfect. This time, he is sorely mistaken.** Vegeta does the same thing again after Majin Buu is hatched, after the Supreme Kai described him as an ultimate evil power-- Vegeta senses that both he and Goku have a higher energy than the newly hatched Buu. Goku knows that he is hiding something, though.* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': Edward Elric. His title (the eponymous Fullmetal Alchemist) means that people confuse him with his brother, a suit of AnimatedArmor. And being called [[TheNapoleon short]] is his BerserkButton. When May Chang meets Edward for the first time, her dreams are shattered when she learns the Fullmetal Alchemist does not meet her fabrications of the handsome, tall, and princely figure she imagined him being.* ''LigthNovel/{{Slayers}}'': [[IdiotHero Gourry Gabriev]] says something to this effect in the first episode when he first meets Lina.* ''Manga/SoulEater'' has Excalibur. Sword of kings and legends. So sharp that he can cut through entire ''dimensions''. [[http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090111181007/souleater/images/a/a7/Excalibur.jpg And he looks like this.]]** How he acts is even worse.* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'' gets "he's shorter than I thought" when living in Tokyo.* ''Manga/BlackCat'': This happens occasionally to Train Heartnet -- mostly in the manga. Having been the strongest member of [[NebulousEvilOrganization Chronos]] and a legendary and feared assassin, many people are shocked when they find out how young he is. Of course, an extreme example of this occurs when Train gets transformed into a child after getting hit with the Lucifer bullet. Chronos assassins who want to kill him are rather shocked when he claims to be the Black Cat.* In ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'', a couple of [[TheMafia Russo-affiliated thugs]] are given the task of hunting down a man who managed to single-handedly destroy and rob ''eighteen'' of their speakeasies in a single night. And just who is that implacable, OneManArmy of badassery, you might ask? [[http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v44/Dragynstorm/Baccano_9.jpg This guy]]. No, not the one with a gun. The guy in the vest who's bawling his eyes out.* ''Manga/KatekyoHitmanReborn'': This tends to happen to Tsuna. He's supposed to be the 10th Generation Vongola Boss (against his will, of course), but he's only 14, and is very scrawny and rather [[ButtMonkey pathetic looking]]. A lot of people say variations of this phrase, and find it generally hard to believe. Interestingly enough, this phrase isn't explicitly said by Spanner, but implied when he gets Tsuna some prisoner clothes, and remarks in surprise and exasperation that even size small is too big for him.* In ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'', this happens to Sōsuke during one of his missions where he had to work with another group of soldiers to kill Gauron. When they first see him, many of them ask why there's a kid here. They find it extremely hard to believe that he's the one assigned to assist them, and find it an insult that Mithril would send a "child" to help.* In ''Manga/DeathNote'', the police are surprised when L turns out to be a scrawny guy in his early twenties.* ''Manga/{{Trigun}}''** In at least the anime version, Milly and Meryl are unable to recognize Vash the Stampede at first because pretty much nothing about him appears anything like the infamously destructive gunslinger they expected. Admittedly, he is tall and his hair is too, but he's far from the tallest person on Gunsmoke (and his hair isn't the biggest, either), and, more importantly, he's a staunchly pacifistic goofball who tends to run around screaming in terror, tripping over his own feet on occasion, flirting with girls and wolfing down doughnuts. At least in the first episode. He [[TookALevelInBadass Takes a Level in Badass]] by the end of "Hard Puncher" a few episodes later, or, more accurately, finally reveals what a badass he's actually been all along.** The only things known about Vash is that he's tall, has blonde hair, and a red coat. Some other details occasionally pop up, but those are as often wrong as right (such as him using a boomerang) from seeing people mistaken for Vash.\\\\The first episode of the anime focuses on several bounty hunters who become suspicious of each other as they try to figure out who the real Vash is. Conversely, in the manga, the cities are festooned with wanted ads featuring his ''picture'', so this isn't an issue.* When Shuji from ''{{LightNovel/Durarara}}'' set out to interview the most fearsome man in Ikebukuro, he was expecting to find a large, over-muscled monster of a man covered in scars and tattoos. What he got was Shizuo, a slim, quiet young man who insisted that he hated violence. Of course, nobody told Shuji that Shizuo had both a HairTriggerTemper and SuperStrength, and thus Shuji found himself tossed around like a baseball after asking exactly one too many questions. Ironically, Shuji notes that the only thing that ''did'' match his mental image of Shizuo was that he was just about as tall as he expected.* In the manga adaptation of ''[[Manga/TheLegendOfZelda The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask]]'', a band of soldiers hear of this great swordsman who has the Ocarina of Time and are hoping to beat him, but instead get the child Link. Their leader does warn them about appearances, accepts Link and allows him to train with them, whereupon he trumps them all.* ''Manga/VampireGame'': The reincarnation of the Vampire Lord Duzell is... a kitten. Ishtar does ''not'' know what to think at first.* Used in ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa''. When the residents of Pop Star learn that a mighty Star Warrior is coming, Tiff pictures a handsome, sword-wielding hero vaguely similar to [[Franchise/FireEmblem Roy]]. Instead, she gets... [[KidHero Kirby]].** Used again when the [=NightMare=] Enterprises guy that sells Dedede the monsters is seen and turns out to have [[spoiler:the same legless, stumpy feet as everybody else, despite looking as if he'd be humanoid and most likely really tall.]]* In ''Manga/AxisPowersHetalia'', Germany expects Italy to be very sly and powerful as Italy is a descendant of the Roman Empire. Instead, he gets a LovableCoward hiding in a tomato box, who believes that during wars, the best course of action is to surrender.* Manga/{{Patalliro}} had this effect on Bancoran when they first met, since the photo Bancoran was given to identify the prince had been touched up to make him look more like a {{bishounen}} and less like the {{chibi}} he actually is.* In ''Manga/InazumaEleven'', Fubuki has quite a reputation as a talented athlete, so everybody expected him to be a tall and strong guy. Much to their surprise, he turns out to be the average-sized teen [[ActuallyIAmHim they ran into earlier]]. Apparently, he gets that a lot.-->'''Fubuki''': Oh, are you disappointed after seeing the real thing? Everyone who hears about those rumors assumes I'm a big guy or something...* ''Manga/FairyTail's'' [[spoiler:[[SealedEvilInACan Zeref]]]] looks a lot younger and [[{{Bishonen}} prettier]] than one would have first assumed. His [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds disposition]] does not help.* Used frequently in Manga/GhostHunt, when people are surprised that Naru is president of SPR at only 17. This is later subverted when they attempt to disguise Naru's identity; Yasuhara (who is really a year or so older) poses as the president, and the client comments, "Yes, I heard you were very young."* In ''Manga/KingOfBanditJing'' people are often surprised that the eponymous character is a) the bandit king and b) a rather scrawny looking kid. More so in the anime, for some reason...* Shiffon Fairchild from ''Manga/{{Freezing}}'' may count. One would expect that the unrivaled "Monster" that reigns supreme over all other Pandoras would not be a cute, goofy and good-natured girl who is far kinder than most of those around her.* Sanae from ''LightNovel/LoveChunibyoAndOtherDelusions'' refuses to acknowledge [[spoiler:Shinka]] as the girl behind "Mori Summer" because the former was expecting the philosopher from ''[[GreatBigBookOfEverything Mabinogion]]'', not the jaded high-schooler desperate to purge her [[OldShame past delusions]].* ''Manga/BokuraNoKiseki'' is a series that revolves around {{Reincarnation}}, so this is bound to pop up. Explicitly mentioned with Ooki, a plain, chubby girl who is the reincarnation of a beautiful female knight. She says she could tell that when she told other characters who she was the reincarnation of, they were visibly disappointed.* ''LightNovel/HaiyoreNyarkoSan'' has Mahiro, a fan of the Franchise/CthulhuMythos, remark that he expected Nyarlathotep to look like a giant tentacled beast (or any of the other forms described in Cthulhu lore), rather than a cute teen girl with silver hair and green eyes. Nyarko offers to show Mahiro one of those more horrible forms, but says it'll probably drive him insane, so he declines. The gag is repeated in the second season, except that Nyarko's response is to offer to show Mahiro her "original form" -- [[ShamelessFanserviceGirl and start undressing]], claiming that it's the form she was in when she was born.* Many people in ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' are surprised how short and wiry Captain Levi, known as [[WorldsStrongestMan Humanity's Strongest Warrior]], is. Considering how fast and precise he needs to be to swing through the air with the 3D Maneuver Gear and slash through the necks of titans, a bigger and bulkier person would have a harder time.* In the 3rd episode of ''Anime/EurekaSeven'', the crew of the Gekko is disappointed to find out the one man who managed to make [[EmotionlessGirl Eureka]] laugh is an ordinary 14 years old boy who doesn't look particularly funny or interesting.* In ''Manga/TheWorldIsStillBeautiful'' there's the 12-year-old Livius. With titles like the Ruler of the World and the Sun King, Nike's sisters obviously expect someone more... impressive, when he finally makes a visit to the Dukedom of Rain. It's no wonder he's not pleased when they mistake Neil for him.* In the ''Anime/DevilMayCryTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "Once Upon A Time", the demon of the week comments that Dante is a lot smaller and less impressive looking than he expected for a Son of Sparda.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]* ''ComicBook/BlueBeetle'': Jaime Reyes, while saving innocent citizens or rescuing pregnant women and babies, tends to get this from news crews quite a lot. At least it's understandable -- he's just your [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent average high schooler]] with a [[BodyHorror magical space bug welded to his spine]].* Rorschach from ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'': super strong, intelligent, horrifying scourge of the underworld; also rather short, homely, [[RedHeadedStepchild red-haired]] and freckled. When he's caught by the police they discover he wears lifts.* The scene where Mmy met Nny in ''ComicBook/JohnnyTheHomicidalManiac'':-->'''Jimmy''': I only really saw you in the dark, but look, I even did my hair to look like yours. Hey, what happened to your hair? And your boots, you're not wearing the long boots. I like the long boots better.\\'''Johnny''': Either my hair burned off in hell, or I sleep-shaved it during a really stupid dream. As for the boots they were hurting my feet.\\'''Jimmy''': Like I said, I only saw you in the dark, but still, I thought you'd be paler than you are. And you're shorter. I always thought you'd be a bit taller than--* [[Comicbook/IncredibleHulk The Hulk's]] son, Skaar, said this when he first met his father on Earth.* In ''The Rabbi's Cat 2,'' when Malka of the Lions says he wants to be admired, his [[spoiler:wife]] tells him he's a legend. Malka replies "So I hear. But every time people see the real thing, they're disappointed."* Happens constantly with Franchise/{{Batman}}. It's not so much that he's not as imposing or impressive as expected, just everyone seems to mention it. Even [[Comicbook/RobinSeries Tim Drake]] and [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]] get told this on occasion! It's even funnier after Dick Grayson becomes Batman... he's actually four inches shorter than Bruce Wayne, so for once it's actually accurate.* Set up as a MythologyGag in the Marvel issue of ''[[ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel GI Joe]]'' that celebrated the 25th anniversary of the original action figure line by reintroducing the original [=G.I. Joe=], Joseph Colton; when he reveals his identity as the original "Joe" to the current team, one of the newer members, Muskrat, comments "I always thought you guys were... bigger", referencing the original 12" toys compared to the modern 3 3/4" figures.* Charles Fort's response to meeting UsefulNotes/NikolaTesla's nuclear-powered atomatic man (aka ComicBook/AtomicRobo) is to remark that he looked taller in the pictures.* Comicbook/ThePunisher gets this from time to time (The current Marvel universe stats list him as 6'1" while the [[Comicbook/ThePunisherMAX MAX version]] was 6'6"). Not surprising given [[TheDreaded the legend]] that surrounds him as "8 feet tall and bulletproof with a million guns and a giant skull for a head" and the fact that most gangsters who see what he really looks like [[VigilanteMan don't live to talk about it]].* Inverted in ''ComicBook/SpiderMen'' when Miles Morales of Ultimate-verse and Peter Parker of 616 meet: Miles blurts out, during a bout of giddy fanboy babbling, that he was expecting Peter to be ''shorter''. Made especially hilarious by the fact that Miles himself is thirteen and quite frankly tiny.* Wally West as the Flash got this from people in ''ComicBook/LegendsDC'' when he took on the role after Barry Allen's death.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]* ''[[http://www.spike.com/video/star-wars-episode/2663936 Star Wars Episode III: A Lost Hope]]''. ...-->'''Darth Vader''': I thought you'd be ''better''.\\'''Mace Windu''': And I thought you'd be taller.\\'''Darth Vader''': ... Touché!* In the ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' fanfic ''FanFic/QueenOfAllOni'', this is General Ozeki's reaction to meeting Jackie.-->"Jackie Chan – your name floats through the sleeping darkness of the world. Both a curse and praises for laying low so many. I thought you'd be taller."* ''FanFic/EarthAndSky'': Blueblood says this to [[spoiler: Chrysalis]].* In the [[BadFuture Dark World]] arc of the ''FanFic/PonyPOVSeries'', when Discord meets his little sister Rancor for the first time, she says this about him. He says it's because he slouches.* In "A Change in Plans", the Dursleys wouldn't allow Franchise/HarryPotter to use the seatbelt, which resulted in him becoming wheelchair bound. Later on, when Harry and Ron first met, Ron refused to believe he was Harry Potter because of this. (Ron wouldn't believe Harry could be a cripple)* ''FanFic/TheDarkLordsOfNerima'' has [[Manga/RanmaOneHalf Gosunkugi]] finding it a bit jarring when he meets the [[Anime/SailorMoon Sailor Senshi]] and realizes that not only are they shorter than he is, they're younger, too.* In the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' fanfic [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4367121/1/The_First_Day The First Day]], the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor reacts this way to Harry when they first meet.* From ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesIIIDoubleTrouble'':--> '''Alien''': Ah. You must be that Earth Potentate that gave everybody such a hard time. Huh. I kind of pictured you taller.* In ''Fate Stay/Night'' fanfic ''Fanfic/NerveDamage'', Jordan Lionstone is surprised that his new Servant Archer [[spoiler: [[TheNapoleon Napoleon Bonaparte]]]] stands at his legendary height [[ShownTheirWork instead of his historically-accurate one]]. The Archer himself is annoyed by this; apparently getting [[{{Pun}} belittled]] is a sore spot for him.* ''FanFic/KidIcarusUprisingTheNovelization: In Chapter 20, this is Pit's reaction to the image of the Chaos Kin Viridi shows him:-->'''Pit''': That's it? I thought it would look more... imposing.-->'''Viridi''': Well, what were you expecting? An EldritchAbomination so hideous [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm you can't grasp its true form?]]-->'''Pit''': Something like that, yeah. * ''[[FanFic/BoundDestiniesTrilogy Blood and Spirit]]'': When she first sees Link up close, [[BigBad Veress]] remarks that, for Hylia's ChosenOne, he doesn't look that imposing and is JustAKid.* In ''Fanfic/OpeningDangerousGates'', several characters get underwhelmed when they meet ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' characters who look like children such as Wonderweiss, Rukia, and Hitsugaya, only to eat their words when they see how tough they are. * In the ''Literature/{{Worm}} fanfic, FanFic/{{Intrepid}}, the Wards were expecting Grue (who just committed a HeelFaceTurn) to be a hideous villain. He looks like a model, leaving even Sophia (who hates him), speechless. * This in inverted in ''FanFic/TheVow'' when Lady Amelia (Lianne's mother) meets for the first time Lord Shen (Lianne's potential betrothed).-->'''Lady Amelia''': So you're the famous Shen I've heard so much about. [...] You're taller than I thought you'd be.* In ''FanFic/FakingIt'', Dipper wonders what Bill really looks like, aware that he's a very powerful mind demon and that he doesn't qualify as an animal (while creatures such as giant centipedes and [[EldritchAbomination eldritch abominations]] do). When he finally sees Bill in his true form, Dipper thinks to himself that he was expecting something less...comprehensible.* Almost used word for word in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5380842/1/Code-Geass-Lelouch-of-the-Second-Chance Lelouch of the Second Chance]]'' when Cornelia meets Zero in person, noting that she's more than OneHeadTaller than him.* Inverted in ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/6359014 All is Calm, All is Bright]]'' when Jonathan Kent meets Bruce Wayne for the first time. --> "He’s taller than I thought he’d be. You see guys like that on TV all the time, you think they’re gonna be smaller when you finally meet him. Not Bruce. He actually looks bigger.”* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8412011/4/The-Cup-of-Life The Cup of Life]]'', the Winchesters naturally think of Merlin as a WizardClassic and are almost traumatized to meet a PrettyBoy kid who doesn't even have a pointy hat.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]* ''WesternAnimation/LegendsOfOzDorothysReturn'' has the princess of Dainty China Country say this to Dorothy. After being touted as the slayer of witches, though, it could be justified.* In ''Disney/MulanII'', when Shang finally meets Mushu, near the end of the movie, he reacts like this.* In ''Disney/PeterPan'', Wendy admits when she first met Peter that he turned out to be a little taller than she expected.* ''WesternAnimation/PlanesFireAndRescue'': When Lil' Dipper first meets Dusty Crophopper, she claims that Dusty is shorter than she expected.* ''Disney/TheRescuers'' are a pair of mice trying to rescue a human child from a kidnapper, so it's not surprising that this is Penny's reaction when they arrive:-->"Didn't you bring somebody big with you? Like the police?"* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'':-->'''Shrek''': Were you expecting Prince Charming?\\'''Fiona''': Actually, yes!** It would later turn out that [[spoiler:she meant this quite literally]].* In ''WesternAnimation/StitchTheMovie'', after Pleakley and Cobra Bubbles meet Dr. Hämsterviel for the first time while he's holding Jumba prisoner, Pleakley has this reaction after having only heard his voice throughout the movie, "He sounded a lot bigger over the phone."* ''WesternAnimation/StrangeMagic'' has Marianne saying that she was expecting... ''[[DoubleEntendre more]]'' in a [[BelligerentSexualTension flirty manner]] from [[spoiler: the Bog King]] during a sword duel. * ''Disney/{{Zootopia}}'': Officer Hops was surprised when Mr. Big was revealed to be a shrew when she and Nick got kidnapped by his henchmen.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]* ''The Alamo'': After the FinalBattle of the 2004 version, when David Crockett has been captured and is offered the chance to beg for his life before General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.-->'''Crockett''': You San'Tanna?\\'''Mexican Interpreter''': ''(nods)''\\'''Crockett''': ... I thought you'd be taller.* Inverted in ''Film/BatmanBegins''. Mob Boss Carmine Falcone tells a young Bruce Wayne that he's "taller than he looks in the tabloids." He then makes it clear however that he's not very impressed by Wayne's naive bravado.* ''Film/BillAndTedsBogusJourney'': Bill and Ted have this reaction when they go to heaven to find the greatest scientist in history, and discover that he's basically a Wookiee who can split into two Ewoks (or is it two Ewoks who can fuse into a Wookiee?). The GrimReaper asks them, "Did you expect the greatest scientist in history to be from Earth?" which is probably a valid point. * ''Film/{{Braveheart}}'': William Wallace has to deal with this.-->'''William Wallace''': Sons of Scotland! I am William Wallace!\\'''Young Soldier''': William Wallace is seven feet tall!\\'''William Wallace''': Yes, I've heard. Kills men by the hundreds. And if ''he'' were here, he'd consume the English with fireballs from his eyes, and bolts of lightning from his arse.** This is a bit of a HandWave -- historical records describe the real William Wallace as being a giant of a man, with many suggesting he was between six and a half and seven feet tall. Mel Gibson is of only average height. The filmmakers endeavored to suggest that his height was a case of his being ShroudedInMyth.* ''Film/{{Collateral}}'': Played straight; When Max, posing as hitman Vincent, meets Vincent's "client" Felix for the first time, the latter one plays greets him with the words "I thought you'd be taller". Then again, he'd probably say the same thing to Vincent (played by Creator/TomCruise), but still.* In the Hong Kong film ''Film/DuelToTheDeath'', legendary swordsman Ching Wan passes through a city and sees an artist drawing a portrait of what the artist imagines Ching Wan looks like. When Ching Wan tells the artist that the portrait looks nothing like the real thing, (without revealing who he is) the artist responds by going on about all the attributes the portrait has and declares that ''of course'' a warrior like Ching Wan would look exactly like the portrait.* In the ''Film/{{Eragon}}'' movie, two characters, upon meeting Eragon, say, "I was expecting someone more...well, more."* A RunningGag in ''Film/EscapeFromLA'' has numerous people expecting Snake Plissken to be taller than he was. In the [[Film/EscapeFromNewYork original]], they kept going, "IThoughtYouWereDead". WordOfGod has it that the former was based off of comments that Creator/KurtRussell received in RealLife.* ''Film/AFewGoodMen'': A variation is inverted and then played straight. Earlier in the film, Kaffee makes fun of Downey's aunt Ginny (as Downey is from somewhere rural and is not that bright, Kaffee assumes Aunt Ginny is some kind of hillbilly). When the trial begins, he finally meets Aunt Ginny... and is surprised to find she's an attractive, intelligent woman who isn't all that impressed with ''him''.-->'''Kaffee''': I'm sorry, it's just... I was expecting someone older.\\'''Aunt Ginny''': So was I.* ''Film/TheGamers'': "Make way for the bandit king! all hail the [[MisterBig Bandit King]]! Hail! Hail!"* In ''Film/{{Gandhi}}'', Charlie Andrews immediately tells Gandhi (who was actually around 5'3") "I thought you'd be bigger."* ''Film/{{Hook}}'': Done retrospectively, and with inverted hero-villain relation:-->'''Peter''': I remember you being a lot bigger.\\'''Hook''': To a ten-year-old, I'm huge.* Played with in ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}'', where President Camacho tells Joe (who is, thanks to society becoming moronic, the [[NormalFishInATinyPond smartest man in America]] at that point) that he "thought [his] [[MyBrainIsBig head would be bigger]]."* Inverted in ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'': the "Jew Hunter" was expecting the Basterd known as the "Little Man" to be shorter.* ''Film/KungFuHustle''. [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Beast]] is a legendary killing machine, locked away in an asylum. When Sing is sent to retrieve him, he's a little surprised to see a balding old man, in flip flops.* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:** In ''Film/IronMan1'' Pepper, Coulson, and his men enter Sector 16 and find Tony's original suit, mistaking it for Stane's power armor. Pepper remarks, "I thought it'd be bigger". It is!** ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' has a lot of fun with this trope.*** When the short and sickly Steve Rogers shows up for the supersoldier experiment, everyone in the room ''stops dead in their tracks'' and falls silent.*** A senator is holding a ceremony to award Rogers the Medal of Honor, but he's had enough of propaganda stunts and fails to turn up. Instead an aide comes on stage and whispers in the senator's ear, presumably informing him of this fact. In the audience is Creator/StanLee [[TheCameo as a general]], who mistakes the aide for Rogers and says he expected him to be taller.*** Inverted when Steve's childhood friend Bucky sees him for the first time since he became a SuperSoldier.--->'''Steve''': I though you were dead!\\'''Bucky''': ''(confused)'' I thought you were smaller.* In ''Film/TheNeverendingStory'', when Atreyu is called for his quest, the centaur comments that he didn't call for Atreyu the child, he called for Atreyu the warrior. Atreyu explains that they are one and the same.* In TheFilmOfTheBook ''Film/PrinceCaspian'', Reepicheep plays the trope for laughs when he and his fellow mice open a door to admit Trumpkin the dwarf into a room of the castle.-->'''Reepicheep''': We were expecting someone, you know, taller.\\'''Trumpkin''': ''(looking down at him)'' You're one to talk!\\'''Reepicheep''': What is that, irony?** Also played by Prince Caspian when meeting the Pevensies, thinking they'd be older. Then again, time goes faster in Narnia, so his expectations were somewhat {{justified|Trope}}.-->'''Peter''': Well, if you like, we can come back in a few years.* In the film ''Film/RoadHouse'', Patrick Swayze's character -- a legendary bouncer -- gets this from several characters, who mention that they "thought he'd be bigger" at completely random intervals and as if they were [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike somehow aware that several people have said it to him before and are joking about it now]].* Played with in ''Film/TheShadow''. Shiwan Khan gets into Lamont Cranston's hidden inner sanctum and immediately says, "I saw you as taller." This may be either a byproduct of Lamont's "clouding men's minds", or of Shiwan's mental portrait of Ying Ko, Lamont's former self.* In ''SmokeyAndTheBandit'', Sheriff Buford T. Justice is surprised to learn that the police officer he was speaking with over CB radio is a black man, and responds with "You sounded a lot taller on the radio."* In ''Film/StarTrekNemesis'', Captain Picard meets his own Romulan-grown clone, who admits that he expected his progenitor to be a little taller.* ''Franchise/StarWars'':** ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'': General Grievous and Anakin Skywalker use this as a back-and-forth insult. Anakin's comeback comes across as slightly bizarre since Grievous is in fact [[HypocriticalHumor several feet taller than Anakin himself]], but then again Anakin is only using it to piss him off.--->'''General Grievous''': Anakin Skywalker. I was expecting someone with your reputation to be a bit... older.\\'''Anakin''': General Grievous. You're ''shorter'' than I expected.\\'''General Grievous''': . . . [[LameComeback Jedi scum]]!** ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'': Luke Skywalker was somewhat surprised on meeting the great Jedi master Yoda, although that's more "I thought you'd be less senile and less likely to steal my lunch."*** In the storybook-and-record set of ''Empire'' made for children, the story is radically condensed in order to fit on a 45-rpm platter. Luke instantly figures out Yoda's identity upon meeting him and says, "I was expecting someone larger!"* In ''Film/{{Sunset}}'', Tom Mix tells Wyatt Earp that he's not what he expected, being so cultured. Wyatt Earp replies that Tom's not what he expected either, he then ponders a moment before shrugging and resorting to this trope.* Near the beginning of ''Film/{{Ted}}'', the titular teddy bear becomes a celebrity after coming to life and appears (digitally inserted via special effects) on ''Series/TheTonightShow''. Johnny Carson tells him "I thought you'd be taller," while Ted quips back "I thought ''you'd'' be funnier."* In ''Film/TrueMemoirsOfAnInternationalAssassin'', a writer falsely claims that he's a hitman called The Ghost to sell his action-adventure novel. When he's kidnapped by people wanting him to kill a politician, their leader says, "I expected you to be a bit... ''(uses hand gestures to indicate someone a lot taller and thinner)'' ...younger."* In the movie ''Film/{{Willow}}'', the group first encounters Finn Raziel, one of the world's most powerful witches, [[BalefulPolymorph after she's been transformed into a possum]] by the BigBad. The two Brownies name a whole bunch of things they were expecting instead, with taller being just one of them.-->'''Rool''': ''That's'' Raziel?\\'''Franjean''': I don't know, I was expecting something a little more grand, a little less...\\'''Rool''': [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Fuzzy!]][[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]* Averted and played straight in the ''Literature/{{Hurog}}'' series: When Ward finds out that the badass, who single-handedly killed some bandits, and only succumbed to severe injuries after all the bandits were dead, is a woman, he is completely unfazed - he knows her and [[AmazonChaser has a crush on her]]. However, when Ward himself is introduced to some people who heard of his prowess in battle, they admit that they expected someone older. * ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse''** ''Literature/XWingSeries'': Wedge Antilles and Ysanne Isard had been enemies for years before they finally met. Wedge is an AcePilot, so he doesn't need to be big, but... well, he ''is'' pretty short. Corran Horn also gets this a lot, being about 5' 4".** In ''Literature/LukeSkywalkerAndTheShadowsOfMindor'', Nick Rostu is surprised to find that Luke is Anakin's son; Luke is visibly smaller than Anakin was, about five foot seven to Anakin's pre-suit six foot two. Luke tells him that he takes after his mother.* Arthur from Creator/GarthNix's ''Literature/KeysToTheKingdom'' books is an asthmatic 12-year-old. By the third book, someone has taken to writing fictionalised versions of his already fairly impressive accomplishments that portray him as seven feet tall and looking akin to a Greek God. People tend to be somewhat disappointed upon meeting him in person.\\\\His {{sidekick}} Suzy Turquoise Blue is similarly transformed from a 16th-century English street urchin with [[TheDungAges historically accurate hygiene]] to a Ninja assassin killing machine. Dame Primus, the incarnation of the last will and testament of the universe's creator, becomes a were-bear-frog. Ironically, this makes it ''much less terrifying'' than it is. Arthur subverts this trope as his constant usage of the Keys causes him to get taller.* Creator/TomHolt's ''Literature/ExpectingSomeoneTaller'', unsurprisingly, uses this trope, or at least a variation. When nerdy clerk Malcolm Fisher runs over a badger and wins ''Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung'', and with it, rulership of the world, everyone is shocked that such a pathetic wet fish could possibly be the hero of prophecy. The dying badger (who is actually a frost giant in disguise) even drops the title/trope name.* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'': Trumpkin doesn't try to hide his disappointment when he meets the Pevensie siblings in ''Literature/PrinceCaspian''. Caspian apparently summoned a bunch of children when everyone expected their saviors to be strong, fully-grown warriors... which they ''were'' at one time, but YearInsideHourOutside is funny that way.* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':** In ''Literature/GravePeril'', when Harry and the [[ChurchMilitant Knight of the Cross]] Michael meet the dragon Ferrovax at a Red Court ball and Michael reveals that he killed the dragon Siriothrax, all Ferrovax deigns to say is "I thought you would be taller".** In ''Literature/SmallFavor'', Harry has been fighting the Billy Goats Gruff, and each successive set of brothers becomes a hell of a lot taller -- with the third wave, consisting of a single gruff nicknamed "Tiny" being about the size of a double-decker bus. Then Eldest Gruff shows up while Harry is hiding inside a building, and Harry levels his staff at the roof of the little shack. He hears Eldest thumping along as he approaches, and aims a little higher. Then, Eldest walks in. [[spoiler: [[PintSizedPowerhouse He's five feet tall]]. Five-two, ''tops''.]]** 'I took a slow breath and stepped past her, to face the king of the Red Court. He was kinda little.'* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''** ''Discworld/TheLightFantastic'': When Rincewind meets Cohen the Barbarian for the first time, he doesn't expect Cohen to be a [[BadassGrandpa senior citizen]].** Also played with when he meets Cohen's daughter Conina. The whole town is looking for a mysterious master thief who turns out to be an attractive barbarian woman. Rincewind admits that she is different from what he had expected. It seems like we would get an Aesop about gender equality and not judging people based on looks but instead he just says that she's a bit taller than he imagined.*** Played straight when Rincewind meets Coin the Sourcerer in ''Discworld/{{Sourcery}}''; Armed with naught but a half-brick in a sock, the wizzard goes up Coin's tower and finds out what the readers have known the entire book- that all-powerful, unmatched Sourcerer is just a little boy.** Big Fido, mysterious head of the short-lived Dog Guild in ''Discworld/MenAtArms'', is a toy poodle.** Taken to the extreme by Miss Butts, the headmistress of the Quirm College for Young Ladies in ''Discworld/SoulMusic''. Her demeanor is so strict, domineering, and pervasive that most people don't realize she's short even when they meet her ''in person''.* In the beginning of Creator/DianaWynneJones's ''Literature/YearOfTheGriffin'', the protagonists' University tutor, getting all his pupils to self-introduce themselves, expects Olga Gunnarsson to be the Emperor's sister (because of her regal manner), and the Emperor's sister to be the Wizard Derk's daughter (for her "humble, almost harassed look"). Wizard Derk's daughter actually turns out to be a griffin.** In ''The Homeward Bounders'', an earlier book by Creator/Diana Wynne Jones, Joris constantly talks up his master, Konstam, leading the other characters to picture him as ten feet tall and omni-competent. When he does show up, he's omni-competent but only about five foot six.* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures novel ''Seeing I'', Sam gets a chance to talk up the Doctor to some new friends before they meet him. When they do, he's rather bedraggled and miserable, and only 5'8" anyway, so one of them says that he expected the Doctor to be taller. Sam responds that [[TheNapoleon "he acts tall."]]* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', Prince Oberyn was disappointed (albeit jokingly) that Tyrion (a disfigured dwarf) did not have the spade tail he was rumored to as a child. Similarly, Tyrion uses this line to great (chilling) effect when finding his mistress in bed with another man. * In the Creator/BarbaraHambly book ''Literature/{{Dragonsbane}}'', this is a major component of the surprise that Gareth feels at his first encounter with the eponymous dragon-slayer, John Aversin -- although he is too well-bred to comment.* In Hambly's ''Literature/TheTimeOfTheDark'', when Rudy sees a young woman being given lots of bossy instructions when she takes the baby heir to the throne out for a bit of air, Rudy assumes the girl is the most junior nursemaid. She's the Queen.* ''Literature/TortallUniverse'': In the later quartets, practically everyone has heard of Alanna the Lioness, King's Champion, and her adventurous exploits. Then they find out she's a lot shorter than even most of the other women she works with. No less [[ActionGirl badass]] for it, but it makes for some awkward introductions.-->"Let me guess. You were expecting someone bigger?"* Creator/MaryRenault's historical novels about the Greek hero Theseus pull this trope ''on the readers'', subverting the expectation that Theseus "should" be a towering muscleman with her short, yet quick and agile protagonist. Nicely justified in the author's notes, which point out that a small man would've had far more reason to develop clever fighting tricks, as Theseus is said to have done, than a BigGuy who can win by brute force.* In the Creator/IsaacAsimov novel ''Literature/TheRobotsOfDawn'', we learn that the story of the previous investigation of the hero, Elijah Baley, was made into a "hyperwave drama". Consequently, everybody who meets Baley tells him that he doesn't look like the actor playing him (who was younger and more handsome).* ''Literature/CodexAlera'': Referenced in the first book. Amara confronts a famous hero stationed with the ''legionarii''. He was taking a bath when she showed up, and [[NakedFirstImpression decided she didn't matter enough for him to get dressed]]. When he says who he is, Amara gives him a meaningful look and says, "I thought you'd be... taller." Pwned.* ''{{Corum}}'': Michael Moorcock's Corum is a member of a race called the Vadhagh, who are more advanced culturally than humans but, on the scale of the FiveRaces, fall well within the range of "High Men." He still finds that Vadhagh in general, and Corum personally in particular, are very ShroudedInMyth and are believed to be as powerful as demigods. King Mannach even tells Corum that "I had expected to meet a being at least nine feet tall!"** Also inverted when Corum meets the Sidhe known as Goffanon the Dwarf, who he is expecting to be, well, dwarf-sized, but who turns out to be about eight feet tall. Which makes him a dwarf by Sidhe standards (Goffanon's brother Ilbrec is 16ft tall).* [[TheyCallHimSword Sword]] in Attanasio's ''The Last Legends Of Earth'', where the population of a village were expecting him to look more like a badass and less like a schoolteacher. Then he proceeds to overhaul their defenses against monsters, and then kills the biggest monster in the area single-handedly. The moral of this story? Don't judge a book by its cover, wait until the pages have finished beating the shit out of gargantuan freaks of "nature" to make your decision.* Inverted in ''[[{{Literature/Nightside}} Agents of Light and Darkness]]'', where a character asks [[spoiler: Judas Iscariot]] what Jesus was really like. "Taller than you'd think" is the reply.* ''Literature/WatershipDown'': Happens in reverse order, when the Efrafans assume the Watership warren's chief rabbit must be ''enormous'', if the formidable Bigwig follows his orders. They'd actually met Hazel-rah face to face, but took it for granted that he was just a messenger, as he's only average-sized. Justified because most rabbit chieftains attain their position [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority through physical strength]], not cunning and charisma as in Hazel's case.* Pulp Western writer Creator/JTEdson's principal continuing character is Dusty Fog, who though strongly built is only about five feet five inches tall and continually overlooked by strangers who know him only by reputation. Usefully, one of his associates, Mark Counter, really is well over six feet tall with big muscles and the face and figure of a Greek god, and from time to time Mark pretends to be Dusty in order that strangers will blab secrets when he is not around but the insignificant-looking real Dusty is. WordOfGod is that Fog was based on Audie Murphy, who was himself of no great size.* ''Literature/WarriorCats'': ** In ''The Darkest Hour'', [[TheHero Firestar]] thinks that Scourge's much bigger [[TheDragon deputy]] is the leader of [=BloodClan=], as he wasn't expecting such a small cat to be leader. When Tigerstar meets Scourge for the first time, he even blurts out, "''That's'' Scourge? He's no bigger than an apprentice!"** In ''A Forest Divided'', Minnow remarks, "''This'' is Gray Wing? I thought he'd be bigger."''* In ''Literature/RangersApprentice'', everyone who meets Halt, and later Will, is surprised that they're so short, having envisioned a huge, glorious hero.* In the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' novel ''In Enemy Hands'', Thomas Theisman thinks this of Cordelia Ransom. He doesn't say it, of course.* In ''Literature/{{Flashman}} and the Redskins,'' Flashy is saved from death at the hands of the Apache by none other than Kit Carson. Carson takes it upon himself to take care of Flashy, travel with him, etc. At one point they're somewhere public when a man comes barging in; he had heard that the great Kit Carson was around and wanted to shake his hand. The small, mild, diffident Carson steps up, while the tall, stalwart Flashy remains in the background. The man can't believe Carson is so small--so Carson gives an almost imperceptible nod to Flashy, at which point the man rushes over and shakes Flashy's hand (and sneers at Carson for trying to fool him). Other Mountain Men hanging around can't stop laughing.* In the {{Emberverse}}, after the average-sized Sam Aylward becomes legendary as "Aylward the Archer," he gets this reaction a lot.* In the ''Literature/AnitaBlake'' series, Anita gets this a lot. Her reaction is usually along the lines of "Yeah, it disappoints me too."* ''Literature/TheSagaOfHrolfKraki'' and ''Literature/ProseEdda'' relate that Hrolf Kraki of Denmark, the most glorious king of his time, was physically unimpressive. Supposedly he received his epithet when a Swede, Vogg, saw the king for the first time and exclaimed: "I heard say that King Hrolf was the greatest man in the Northlands, but now here sits on the throne a little ''kraki'' [a pole ladder], and they call it their king!" (''Prose Edda'')* In the ''Literature/AubreyMaturin'' series, Stephen goes to see a local spymaster, Major Beck, who has never met him before but has heard of the brilliant intelligence coups Stephen has pulled off. Beck is disappointed to find that Stephen is 'meager, shabby, undistinguished,' and [[ArsonMurderandJaywalking wearing blue spectacles]]. Stephen promptly [[spoiler: tells him how he personally killed the two dangerous French spies in the area, and [[CrowningMomentofAwesome hands over all the American Intelligence Chief's personal papers]].]]--> 'By the time the last [[spoiler: document]] took its place on the desk Dr. Maturin had reached and surpassed the heroic stature expected of him.'* Invoked in ''Literature/ArtemisFowl and the Last Guardian''. A dwarf realises that he's only seconds away from being murdered by Opal, so he decides to [[DyingMomentOfAwesome go out with flair]] by making his last words an insult. "I always thought you'd be taller. Plus your hips are wobbly."* ''Literature/TheLayOfPaulTwister'' opens this way: he meets with a client, who had gone to hire a renowned magical rogue, and at first didn't believe that the teenager standing before him, who'd been pulling legendary heists for years, could be the great Paul Twister. [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld Turns out he just ages slowly]].* In ''Deathstalker'', Owen and Hazel seek out Jack Random, the legendary professional rebel, hero of a thousand campaigns against the Empire, whose name still commands respect and fear in several quarters. When they finally find him, he's a broken, shriveled old man, relying on battle drugs to give him the courage he needs to step back into the rebellion, and even then he's not sure he can do it. Owen and Hazel are less then impressed, and it's even rather nebulous for quite some time if he really is Jack Random, or an Imperial impostor or spy.* Literature/TheRiftwarCycle has a couple:** In ''Prince of the Blood'', this is Prince Erland's first reaction upon meeting the Empress of Kesh, as she's a tiny, ordinary-looking elderly woman. Of course, since she's also the most powerful ruler in the world, he doesn't say anything about it.** ''A Crown Imperiled'' has the leader of the [[spoiler:civilized Pantathians]] say this upon encountering Pug, who they knew mostly through the results of his attempt at exterminating them half a century earlier.** Pug also gets this in ''Magician's End'' from a leader of the Dark Elves.* In ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfTomSawyer'', Tom is severely disappointed when a visiting US senator fails to meet his expectations.-->Even the Glorious Fourth was in some sense a failure, for it rained hard, there was no procession in consequence, and the greatest man in the world (as Tom supposed), Mr. Benton, an actual United States Senator, proved an overwhelming disappointment—for he was not twenty-five feet high, nor even anywhere in the neighborhood of it.* Inverted in Creator/DickFrancis's ''Break In''. Most people who meet steeplechase jockey Kit Fielding for the first time admit that they were expecting someone ''shorter''. Kit is shorter than average, but he's nowhere near the stereotypical midget most people picture when they think of a jockey.* ''Literature/TheSagaOfArrowOdd'': When Vignir, Odd's son with the giantess Hildigunn, meets his father for the first time, he is stumped that Odd is a normal-sized person, i.e. what amounts to a midget in the eyes of a giant.-->''"I'm at a loss for words,“ said Vignir.\\"Why's that?" asked Odd.\\"I can't believe such a puny-looking little wretch as you could be my father," said Vignir.''* ''Literature/TheWhiteCompany'': Everyone knows that Sir Nigel Loring is one of the pre-eminent knights of the age. What the stories often conveniently forget to mention is that he is also short, slender, prematurely bald and near-sighted... he gets this a lot. * ''Literature/{{Worm}}'':** Eidolon has this effect when he actually talks to people. Though he is unquestionably [[AllYourPowersCombined the most powerful superhero alive]], ''nobody'' that talks to him actually likes him as a person, even the heroes that he's worked with for years.** [[VillainProtagonist Skitter]] also has this effect. Clockblocker even comments, during an EnemyMine, that she's shorter than she looks when she's not [[HorrifyingHero covered in a shroud of insects]].[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]* Inverted in ''Series/{{Andromeda}}'', where Dylan Hunt (played by Creator/KevinSorbo) gets described as: "[...]huge, like a Greek god."* In ''Series/{{Angel}}'', Illyria reacted along these lines to meeting her priest, Knox:-->'''Illyria''': You are the Qwa'ha Xahn.\\'''Knox''': I am your priest. I am your servant. I am your guide in this world. I've taken your sacraments and placed them close to my heart according to the ancient ways. That's why you were called to me. We're bound together.\\'''Illyria''': ''(dismissively)'' My last Qwa'ha Xahn was taller.* Subverted in ''Series/AshesToAshes'':-->"You're taller than I imagined."\\"I'm bigger in every department."* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''** The first time Buffy met Angel (as opposed to the first time he ''[[RetCon saw]]'' her), he tells her "I thought you'd be taller." -- Lampshading the fact that Buffy was played by a different actress in the movie.** A indirect version is used in the episode ''Prophecy Girl'', when Jenny remarks:-->'''Jenny''': The part that gets me, though, is where Buffy is the Vampire Slayer. She's so ''little''.** Xander says this about Count Dracula.* In one episode of ''Series/BurnNotice'', Michael goes to trade information with a Libyan spy. Mike's name is apparently pretty well known in the Middle East's intelligence community, prompting this line:--> '''Anwar''': ''You're'' Westen? I thought you would be taller.** In the pilot, a Russian man admits that he (and the rest of the Russian intelligence community) thought that Michael Westen was a code name for a whole team of operatives. "Nope, just me".* General Beckman from ''Series/{{Chuck}}'', played by the diminutive Bonita Friedericy. For a while she only appears on video conferences with the heroes, and the first time she shows up in person, Chuck blurts out, "Wow, Beckman is tiny!"* In ''Series/FatherTed'', when Dougal is reminded of once meeting the Pope, he brushes it off as unimportant. Ted reminds him that the Pope is God's representative on Earth, to which Dougal replies, "You think he'd be taller."* ''Series/TheFlash2014'' Barry Allen/The Flash finally gets to meet [[BigBad Savitar]] outside his PoweredArmor. [[spoiler:Upon seeing that he's a twisted and evil future version of himself, all Barry can say is "You're not so scary without your armor."]]* ''Series/GameOfThrones''. Though he's not tall by any means, [[ScrewPolitenessImASenior Olenna Redwyne]] expresses disappointment that Tyrion Lannister is a "cowed bookkeeper" (his father has roped him into running the kingdom's finances) instead of the DepravedDwarf and DeadpanSnarker he's supposed to be. Inverted when Tyrion's father, Lord Tywin, outmaneuvers her during a private political negotiation; Olenna says it's a pleasure to meet a man who [[MagnificentBastard finally lives up to his reputation]].* When villains Draco and Silverthorn meet in ''Series/TheGirlFromTomorrow''.-->'''Draco''': So you're the infamous Silverthorn. I imagined you'd look tougher.\\'''Silverthorn''': Looks aren't everything.* In ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'' the eponymous hero is often confronted with that statement.* On ''Series/{{Medium}}'',when Joe first meets Captain Push, his first comment to Allison is that he thought the great Captain Push would be taller. He later admits that he got taller as the night went on.* Inverted in ''Series/{{Merlin}}''. Grettir, a dwarf, says that Arthur isn't as short as he expected.* Inverted with Canadian TV game show host Jim Perry. He was 6'4", and the set of the game show ''Definition'' had a hole for him to stand in, so he wouldn't look so much taller than the contestants.* ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'': Doctor K's reaction to her Rangers' reaction to her SamusIsAGirl reveal.-->'''Dr. K''': What? You thought I'd be taller?* ''Series/TheProfessionals'': "The Untouchables".-->'''Rahad''': Mr Cowley! I have heard of you. You are... much smaller than I imagined.\\'''Cowley''': So was Henry the Eighth.* In ''Series/RedDwarf'', Kryten has this reaction to ''the planet Earth'' the first time he sees it.-->"It's exactly like I always imagined, only much shorter."* ''Series/RizzoliAndIsles'': the team investigates the murderer of an avid MMORPG player, and get a list of his contacts, including one with the name "Grunhilde", whose avatar is a gorgeous blonde Viking and whose real name is Kendra Dee. Frost and Korsak are eager to meet with her ... and she turns out to be a mid-60s woman with a romantic streak and a penchant for writing Runic love letters.* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'': When the eponymous character, newly famous, meets an employee of the British government:-->'''Eric''': You look taller in your photographs.\\'''Sherlock''': Take the precaution of a [[IconicOutfit good coat]] and a [[TheWatson short friend]].* ''Series/StargateSG1''** Series opening:-->'''Gen. Hammond''': I'm assigning Sam Carter to this mission.\\'''O'Neill''': I'd prefer to put together my own team, sir.\\'''Gen. Hammond''': Not on this mission, sorry. Carter's our expert on the Stargate.\\'''O'Neill''': Where's he transferring form?\\'''Carter''': ''She'' is transferring from the Pentagon. ''(enters the briefing room)'' I take it you're Colonel O'Neill. Captain Samantha Carter reporting, sir!** Later, when teenage-clone O'Neill meets adult original O'Neill, he comments "Wow. I'm taller than I thought."* An odd example happens in the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "Homage". Troi's fiancé (it's an ArrangedMarriage) was clearly expecting her to look differently when he first sees her. [[spoiler: (Later, the explanation makes things clear; he has been getting telepathic messages from a woman and, because Troi is telepathic, he had assumed they were from her. They were actually from someone else entirely.)]] * Senator Vreenak in the ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "In The Pale Moonlight", when he meets Sisko.-->'''Vreenak''': So you're the commander of Deep Space Nine. And the Emissary of the Prophets. Decorated combat officer, widower, father, mentor and... oh, yes, the man who started the war with the Dominion. Somehow I thought you'd be taller.\\'''Sisko''': Sorry to disappoint you.\\'''Vreenak''': [[DeadpanSnarker To be honest, my opinion of Starfleet officers is so low, you'd have to work very hard indeed to disappoint me]].* An episode of ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' called "Live Fast and Prosper" featured a group of aliens who were masquerading as members of the ''Voyager'' crew. Janeway got this line from the woman, Dala, who was impersonating her:-->'''Janeway''': I have to admit I'm impressed.\\'''Dala''': I wish I could say the same. The great Captain Janeway. Somehow I expected you to be taller. I make a better you than you.\\'''Janeway''': Oh, I don't know, I'd say we're very much alike. Resourceful, intelligent, ambitious, but with just one tiny difference.\\'''Dala''': And what is that?\\'''Janeway''': I'm not a liar and a thief.* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. Samuel Campbell has this reaction on meeting the angel Castiel for the first time.-->'''Samuel''': This is Castiel? You're scrawnier than I pictured.\\'''Castiel''': [[MeatPuppet This is a vessel]]. My true form is approximately the size of your Chrysler building.** Meg tells John that she expected him to be taller when she meets him. Seeing as she had a lot of FoeYay with Sam in her previous appearances, he probably set the bar too high.* When Peter meets Mozzie for the first time in episode four of ''Series/WhiteCollar''.-->'''Peter''': I thought you'd be taller.\\'''Mozzie''': Me too.* Averted in ''Series/TheXFiles'' when Reyes meets Mulder properly for the first time (he was somewhat dead the first time she saw him).-->'''Reyes''': Agent Mulder.\\'''Mulder''': Agent Reyes?\\'''Reyes''': You're taller than I thought.\\'''Mulder''': You keep on alluding to a time that we've met and I don't remember.\\'''Reyes''': I was there when they found you in the woods. You were... Uh... Yeah. I'm not surprised you don't remember.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]* This trope is OlderThanFeudalism. The Jews were expecting [[Literature/TheBible Jesus]] to be this huge, powerful "warrior-king" in the mold of David who would gather up an army and start hacking down Romans in cold blood and stuff. Instead, he turned out to be this kindly, quiet-natured teacher who held some get-togethers, tended to some sick people, died, and (according to rumor) then came back to life after three days. That's part of why there's so much continuity debate between the more [[BrokenBase classic Jewish fanbase and the revisionist Christians]].* King David also had this trope on him: When it came the time for prophet Samuel to anoint the new king, God instructed him to go to a house of a certain Jesse who had many sons. He inspected them, and they were no doubt strong, smart, and reputable, but to the surprise of Jesse and probably Samuel too, none of them were to be the king. Samuel, wondering whether he or God had mistaken the house, asked whether those were really all Jesse's sons. There was one more, a young boy who preferred to spend time alone tending the sheep. Guess which one became the king.* This was nearly a RunningGag in ''the Literature/TainBoCuailnge''. Several incarnations of the tale even include a conversation between Medb and Fergus which suspiciously mirrors the one in MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail between King Arthur and Tim the Enchanter.-->'''Medb''': Why comes he not, Fergus?\\'''Fergus''': Cuchulain is there before you.\\'''Medb''': I see no one at all save one young lad. I cannot see a warrior near or far.\\'''Fergus''': That young lad ''is'' that who has done damage to your hosts.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]]* Swedish stand-up comedian Johan Glans once said something about people coming up to him and pointing out that he looks taller on television, and he somewhat [[SarcasmMode sarcastically]] wondered how you reply to that: "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll shape up, I promise."* Jack Dee (appx 5ft6): ''"People come up to me and say'' (sarcastic voice) ''Oooh, you're not as big as you look on the telly. To which I say, "How big's your ***ing telly?!"''* In the same vein, the ''Series/CashCab'' guy once remarked that he should hire a dwarf version of himself to walk in front of him at all times, so when people came up to the dwarf, they would say, "You look ''exactly'' the same size..."[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]* ''Rockville'': Done in a subtle but funny way in this mostly-German musical. Brian Carr, dead rock star turned guardian angel in training, can only be seen by those willing to believe in his existence -- initially, only the children and the elderly. At one point, single mom Jackie has to admit that he must exist and talks to him despite still being unable to see him -- and keeps looking in the air over his head (prompting the ones who ''can'' see him to point at where his face actually is). Brian isn't particularly short, just not very tall, and looks mostly amused.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]* Used a few times in the ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' series:** In the first game, after finishing Chapter 2, people will start mentioning 20-foot-tall heroes in response to the events of that chapter.** In the final chapter, one of the assassins sent after you is an ogre called Larze, who has seen a picture of your face but is otherwise unaware of how you look and act. The player character can use his/hers at that point rather embellished reputation to claim that you're not yourself, since you're not eight feet tall with glowing eyes and a voice that booms as the heavens, causing the ogre to leave to get a better look at the picture.** Done twice in the second game. After starting the Mage Stronghold {{sidequest}}, the wizard who teleports in to meet you says that he "thought you'd be taller." Also, when talking to the [[spoiler:not-quite]] leader of the Shadow Thieves guild, he'll say that he " was expecting someone... grander" in response to what he's heard about the [[PlayerCharacter PC]]. CHARNAME can even comment on the fact that he's fairly pleasant for someone with the name "Bloodscalp". There's no option to act offended though, even if you're playing as a halfling.* ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'': The reason your character can walk around freely in the capital even after killing numerous Mooks is that since none of them survived encountering you, nobody knows what you look like and are thus expecting a ten-foot fire-breathing Scourge of the South.* In the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games, going from a game of the main series (in which sprites of most Pokémon with similar proportions are basically the same size) to one where they appear to scale may confuse most players when confronted with 'mons, expecially fully-evolved ones, which appeared much bigger before.* Goto in ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' delivers the "I was expecting someone taller" line when he first meets the Jedi Exile.* Usually played straight in the ''SpyroTheDragon'' series... but with an inversion/subversion/lampshading in ''VideoGame/SpyroAHerosTail'':-->'''Ineptune''': Ah, you must be Spyro! You're ''larger'' than I expected.\\'''Spyro''': ... Huh? Normally people I fight say I'm smaller than they expected. You know -- trying to psyche me out.* In ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'': One line of Imperial Guard chatter that can trigger when they spot an Eldar unit: "Those are Eldar? I thought they'd be taller."* Ruca Milda of ''VideoGame/TalesOfInnocence'' is Asras' reincarnation. He's shy and notably scrawny, not what most people expect from the reincarnation of Census Army's general.* {{Deadpool}} to [[ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan Ultimate]] Spidey in ''SpiderManShatteredDimensions''.** [[spoiler: Mysterio takes it a step further, and openly mocks him for it with recycled Yo Mamma jokes.]]* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' has a ShoutOut to ''Franchise/StarWars'': if Locke steals an imperial trooper's uniform and goes to rescue Celes in it, she asks "aren't you a little short for an imperial trooper?"* ''Franchise/DragonAge''** Random dialogue from a Commoner Dwarf in the [[VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins original game]] includes a line that she thought humans/a Grey Warden (you) would be taller. Her image of it must be rather skewed...** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening'', an imported Warden can get this (somewhat sarcastic) reaction from Nathaniel Howe upon first encountering him in a prison cell.-->'''Nathaniel''': Aren't you supposed to be ten feet tall with lightning bolts shooting out of your eyes?** {{Inverted|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition''. Cassandra was expecting Hawke to be shorter. Played straight with multiple people, particularly Blackwall, if [[PlayerCharacter the Inquisitor]] is a dwarf.* ''VideoGame/StarWarsRebelAssault II'', after DressingAsTheEnemy:-->'''Rookie One''': Hey, aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?\\'''Ru Murleen''': Shut up.* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' contains a quest which requires you to take an orphan to TheHighQueen of [[OurDragonsAreDifferent the dragons]]. Despite her being [[LargeAndInCharge about twice as big as the average player]], he still comments that he expected her to be somewhat bigger.** Obviously. Alexstrasza is about twice as big as your player character... [[VoluntaryShapeshifting in her human form]]. Dragons in their ''true'' forms in the ''Warcraft'' universe are usually [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever much, much bigger]].* ''VideoGame/AdventureQuestWorlds'' uses this trope and lampshades it at the same time in [[spoiler: the conclusion of the Vordred storyline, where upon meeting Artix he remarks. 'I always thought you'd be taller...and have a deeper voice.' To which Artix responds 'Yeah I get that a lot.'. This gets repeated when Gravelyn meets Artix for the first time in her ending to the Doomwood saga]].* The bonus boss of ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}} 13: Ten Desires'' is the youkai's trump card against the resurrected saint who served as the FinalBoss. The four heroines of the game expected youkai such as the [[{{Kaiju}} giant]] [[DemBones skeleton]] known as a Gashadokuro. Instead, they got Mamizou, a {{Tanuki}}. Granted, she's one of the strongest examples of her species and is as powerful as one would expect from a BonusBoss, but well, as [[DeadpanSnarker Marisa]] put it...--> '''Marisa''': Aren't you supposed to be the youkai trump card? I figured you'd be amazing, but you're just a tanuki youkai. \\'''Mamizou''': Oh, I hope you're not making light of tanuki. We have quite a bit of influence in youkai society. You might even call us elite. \\'''Marisa''': Elite? \\'''Mamizou''': And in addition, my [[ShapeShifting transformation]] power is among the top three tanuki of Japan. \\'''Marisa''': Sure, but you're still a tanuki, right? The kind that [[LetsMockTheMonsters drums on their bellies on the night of the full moon]], right?* VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay--> '''Conker''': Aren't you a little short to be a Grim Reaper? \\'''Gregg''': Well, how many Grim Reapers have you met before, mate? What am I supposed to look like?* In the ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' games, this comes up a couple of times.** In ''VideoGame/SuikodenI'', some early townspeople will share rumors that Odessa, the leader of LaResistance, is some kind of nine-feet-tall ogre. ''While Odessa is right there in your party, and completely unnoticed by the townspeople.''** In ''VideoGame/SuikodenII'', Hoi's impersonating you, but his disguise falls flat when his "True Rune" (actually a bit of body painting) starts to dissolve. Cue one of the villagers admitting that Hoi's actually a little ''small'' to be the leader of the anti-Highwind forces. Now consider that Hoi isn't just ''larger'' than you, he's pretty hefty. (And that they mistook you for his accomplice...) No way are they going to realize that the genuine article is the genuine article.* ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'':--> '''Goblin Tinkerer''': I thought you'd be taller.* In ''VideoGame/JadeCocoon 2'', after Kahu [[spoiler:saves the world from Lilith and the Chosen One of Darkness]], he meets Mint, who's surprised by how normal-looking he is, given what he recently achieved.* In ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}'', [[ActionGirl Commander Palmer]] jokingly says she expected the [[LivingLegend Master Chief]] to be taller. The Chief is quite a bit taller than she is (depending on the cutscene, she doesn't even come up to the Chief's shoulder). (Canonically, the Master Chief is only 5 inches taller than she is.)* LeagueOfLegends: Poppy is a champion, on an long quest to find the true Hero of Demacia to give him a magic hammer. Being a very responsible and capable girl, she murdered every bandit, beast and monster she encountered as she wandered all across Demacia for centuries. In the story Slayer, she pursues rumors of herself and encounters the statue of herself without realizing it. Of course, the statue portrays her as a seven feet tall man rippling with sharply defined muscles while Poppy is three and a half feet tall Yordle, so it's an understandable mistake. * ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'': When you save Kolima, people are slightly disappointed that they got four teenage adventurers instead of[[RatedMForManly huge, bearded, muscular warriors]]. Turns into a BrickJoke in ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'' when Isaac has become just that (Garet only went to BadassMustache).* In ''VideoGame/ShiningWisdom'', Alfred reacts this way upon meeting Mars:-->"Don't take this the wrong way, but I was expecting someone much, uh... larger. Ah well, size is overrated. You and I are gonna make a great team, anyway!"* One of the possible comments the Dragonborn can make when first meeting Delphine in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' is "I was expecting someone... taller." One of the Companions makes a similar comment when the new Harbinger is announced at the end of that faction's questline.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]* In ''Webcomic/TalesOfTheQuestor'', this is a gag when Quentyn visits a newspaper and meets the artist who drew the front page picture of himself, a raccoonmountain of a Questor. Somehow, having the artist go "Oh poop" at seeing how far off she was is hardly flattering. However, Kestrel, Quentyn's friend, tells him that he might as well appreciate the misapprehension as an advantage to thwart his enemies' expectations.* In ''Webcomic/{{Spinnerette}}'', Heather a.k.a. Spinnerette is starting her career as a super-heroine and poses for a newspaper photographer. On the next day, she's very annoyed to discover that they actually photoshopped her ''taller'', because a 5'1 feet tall heroine apparently doesn't strike fear in the hearts of evildoers.* ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'': [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/050808 George and X]].* Oswald of ''[[Webcomic.KnightsErrant Knights-Errant]]'' is, well... "really tiny" for a man known as the Behemoth. Or, according to him, everyone else is '''too damn tall.'''* In ''Webcomic/TrueVillains'', it is a running gag when someone meets Sebastian. He never seems to live up to the tales they've heard, including a story of him being [[http://www.truevillains.com/comic-2007-08-30~N-Word%20on%20the%20Street-jpg.htm six foot three.]]* Inverted in ''Webcomic/{{SSDD}}'' with Commander Krutz (a very tall and muscular and, as this is a FurryComic, fierce looking dog), everyone that sees him and his bodyguard (much shorter than him) always tries to shake the hand fo the bodyguard.* ''Webcomic/KarinDou4koma'': TheDreaded Seren has the (temporary) form of a cute child when Meguru and Rindou each meet her, taking them quite off-guard.* In ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'', this is the punchline when Florence finally meets [[spoiler:Dr. Bowman. It's a punchline because she really was expecting someone taller -- namely, a human.]]* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', the fandom went ballistic when they realized that Doc Scratch, an omniscient, omnipotent badass, is the size of a puppet.* ''Webcomic/ShotgunShuffle'': Danny's first words to his business partner after meeting him in person is that he thought he'd be taller. This is while said partner(who is at least a head shorter than him), is choke holding him in the air.* In ''WebComic/StandStillStaySilent'', Tuuri had heard that Swedes were quite tall, making her a little disappointed when her new Swedish teammate turns out to be average-sized, and actually a little shorter than her own cousin.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]* Aang, from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' is supposedly a 112-year-old master of all elements. Thanks to being a HumanPopsicle for a hundred years, he's really a 12-year-old kid who likes penguin sledding. This is commented on by Zuko the first time they come face to face:-->'''Zuko''': You're just a child!\\'''Aang''': Well, you're just a teenager!* In ''WesternAnimation/CountDuckula'', when Duckula had some movie producers come to make a movie of his life, the producers ended up casting Igor for the part instead because they weren't expecting the real Count Duckula to be so puny.* Hiccup gets this in ''WesternAnimation/DragonsRidersOfBerk'', when Alvin the Treacherous can't believe that the famous "Dragon Conquerer" is "Stoick's little embarrassment" -- a scrawny little boy with a fake leg.* A ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' CutawayGag depicts the second coming of Jesus, who recognizes this trope.-->'''Jesus''': Okay, everybody, uh, I know you were expecting something else, but as science will tell you, people were a lot shorter 2,000 years ago.* In the ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFourWorldsGreatestHeroes'' episode "World's Tiniest Heroes," Hank Pym (aka Ant-Man) says this to the shrunken Four.* In ''WesternAnimation/GummiBears'', when Cubbi became the superhero the Crimson Avenger, the rumors get so out of hand that he is thought to be a tall human. This helps keep the existence of the Gummi Bears secret.* An indirect example: In one episode of the ''[[Disney/{{Hercules}} Hercules]]'' TV series, the EvilPlan of King Midas involves stealing the [[TrickedOutShoes winged shoes of Hermes]] and using them himself. But he has some difficulty putting them on, and wonders how a ''god'' can have such small feet...* In the Disney animated holiday special, ''WesternAnimation/MickeysChristmasCarol'', the Ghost of Christmas Past is played by Jiminy Cricket. When he introduces himself to a bemused Uncle Scrooge, Scrooge replies, "Ohh. I thought you'd be taller." (Making this even funnier, the Ghost of Christmas Present, who comes later, is ''a giant'', specifically the giant in the Disney version of ''Literature/JackAndTheBeanstalk''.) * PlayedWith in the ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'' episode "[[Recap/MiloMurphysLawS1E08SmoothOperator Smooth Opera-tor]]," when [[BornUnlucky Milo]] is PushedInFrontOfTheAudience in place of an adult performer:-->'''Opera Singer''': ''You're shorter than I remember.''\\'''Milo''': ''This is the physique that I was cursed with''.\\'''Opera Singer''': ''I'll admit that I'm confused,/You're not the one that I rehearsed with''.* A ''WesternAnimation/PinkPanther'' short had him seeing a "Mr. Big" but he turns out to be a very small man behind a desk. The Panther sneezes and the man winds up in the wastebasket.* ''WesternAnimation/PoundPuppies2010'': In one episode, the dogs are being visited by a legendary puppy rescuer known only as The General. When The General actually arrives, they're all surprised to find that she's a [[HelloNurse fluffy pink poodle]] [[SouthernBelle with a southern drawl]] whose reputation seems to come from the fact that male dogs fall all over themselves to do what she asks.* ''WesternAnimation/{{ReBoot}}'': Rare villainous example in Season 4's Supervirus [[BigBad Daemon]]. Given what [[OneWingedAngel Supervirus]] [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever Gigabyte]] looked like and that Daemon was even MORE powerful, few were expecting a [[AffablyEvil sweet]], [[LightIsNotGood shiny]], [[BrightIsNotGood brightly-colored]] JeanneDArchetype.-->'''Mike''': [[OhCrap You're... Daemon, aren't you?]]\\'''Daemon''': (gently) Yes. Did you expect something else?\\'''Mike''': Oh, actually... yes. I mean, where are the [[FemmeFatalons talons]] and the [[FangsAreEvil teeth]] and the [[SpikesOfVillainy spiky things]]? You're a little small for a supervirus, aren't you?* In the United States dub of ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfsAndTheMagicFlute'', when one of the Smurfs introduces Papa Smurf to Peewit as "the Great Smurf", Peewit jokingly wonders how tall "the greatest Smurf" must be.* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'': In [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS2E04BrothersOfTheBrokenHorn "Brothers of the Broken Horn"]], after Ezra introduces himself to Hondo Ohnaka as Lando Calrissian, Hondo remarks:-->"So, at last I meet the semi-famous Lando Calrissian! A little younger than I expected."* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaIsland'': In the first episode Beth runs up to Chris, the host of the show, and hugs him; after letting go she comments, "Wow, you're much shorter in real life."* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}'' season 2 episode 6, a trio of Sadida children comments that they were expecting someone taller about [[spoiler:the red-headed warrior -- i.e. the resurrected Sadlygrove]].* In a ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'' Christmas special, Pooh fears he has made it impossible for the letter he and his friends wrote for Santa Claus to reach him, so he disguises himself as Santa in an attempt to rectify his mistake and get his friends the presents they wished for. Unlike Santa, Pooh isn't very stealthy; Tigger, Rabbit and Eeyore each notice him coming into their houses, and each comment on how they thought Santa would be taller. Of course, this is Justified as Pooh is obviously not the real Santa and, being a teddy bear, can't be more than a foot or so tall.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]* It is not uncommon to make movie actors (especially in male lead roles) look taller by tricks like shooting only head on or [[HitlerCam from below]], pairing them with shorter costars, have them [[ScullyBox stand on boxes]], or even use downsized sets. A few famous actors that were or are a lot shorter in real life than most people realize(d) are Creator/HumphreyBogart, Creator/RobertDeNiro, Creator/SylvesterStallone (real height about 5'9"), Boris Karloff (5'11"), Creator/MelGibson (5'9"), Creator/TomCruise (5'7"), Creator/ChuckNorris (5'8"), Creator/RobertDowneyJr (5'8"), Creator/JoshHutcherson (5'6"), Creator/ZacEfron (5'8"), Creator/LucyLiu (5'3"), Creator/DanielRadcliffe (5'5") and Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger (whose height is officially given as 6'2", but probably is less than 6'1").* Jon Stewart of ''Series/TheDailyShow'' often jokes about getting this reaction from fans in his studio audience.* A great many fictional stories have someone meet the president of the United States or some other important leader and find him shorter than expected. Although it might not be likely in RealLife much, since the last average-sized president was the 5'9" UsefulNotes/HarryTruman (UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter as well; he's a half-inch taller than Truman was).* People with some frequency imagine powerful political leaders they haven't seen in real life as taller than they are. In reality, there is no significant correlation between height and political office: Before Obama was elected, Canadian PM Stephen Harper was the only G8 leader taller than 6'0". [[http://pics.blameitonthevoices.com/092009/how_world_leaders_measure_up.jpg A small selection of world leaders and their height.]]* In the reality TV show ''I Get That A Lot'' where famous persons pretend to be ordinary citizens who just happen to look like a famous person, the late Larry Hagman was on and someone told him he wasn't "Larry Hagman" because the real Larry Hagman was taller.* In the introduction to ''Literature/DangerousVisions'', Creator/IsaacAsimov and Creator/HarlanEllison recount their first meeting, when young fan Ellison walked up to the elder author and said, "I think you're ({{beat}}) nothing." Ellison was invoking this trope, although Asimov initially took it as something more insulting.* The Reverend Billy Graham once told a story of how he was in a hotel for a conference. He was in an elevator along with his associates and businessmen who were also staying in the hotel. One of the businessmen turned to another and said, "I heard Billy Graham is staying here". The men in the elevator smiled and pointed Graham out to him. The businessman sized him up and said "What an anticlimax". Graham chuckled and said, "I'm sorry, this is all there is."* ''Film/TheRoom's'' Tommy Wiseau. Given his broad shoulders and overall musculature, you'd be surprised to find out he's no more than 5'5".* Although not seen in person by anyone, most modern depictions of Christian figures are influenced by El Greco, who stretched his subjects into beanpole physiques for symbolic reasons. Older depictions are often much shorter and stouter.* In a famous anecdote UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat was said to have visited the Persian harem shortly after the Battle of Issos alongside his dearest friend and probable lover, Hephaistion. The vanquished Darius' mother, Sisygambis was said to have begged for her life not from Alexander but from Hephaistion, mistaking him for the king, since Alexander was much smaller, and from all accounts younger looking and less intimidating than Hephaistion. When she realized her mistake, Alexander corrected her by saying " You weren't wrong. He is Alexander too."* When a fat acceptance blogger made a post about meeting a famous fat activist Ragen Chastain in person, she offhandly mentioned that at first she had a hard time recognizing her since she looked much different in real life than in the pictures on her official website, all of which were taken few years before, back when she weighted considerably less.[[/folder]]----